


Real Or Rinsed

by Penyginger



Series: Conversations I'll Never Have With Taron Egerton [1]
Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, Taron Egerton - Fandom, Welsh Actor RPF
Genre: F/M, Gen, Late Late Show conversation, Other, talk show bs I can't get out of my head
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 09:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30086736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penyginger/pseuds/Penyginger
Summary: Inspired by dumb games they come up with on James Corden's shows.A very awkward/fluffy story about what happens when Taron and Nicole Kidman play a game where they have to guess who has natural red hair and who's is dyed. OFC accidentally slips and says something embarrassing. Taron makes her feel better.Ft Eddie The Eagle references, a single overused ginger pubes joke, and a very giggly bunch of talk show things.That's it. That's the plot. Idk. I'm new here.
Relationships: Taron Egerton & Original Female Character(s), Taron Egerton & Reader, Taron Egerton/Reader
Series: Conversations I'll Never Have With Taron Egerton [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2213775
Kudos: 1





	Real Or Rinsed

“So,” His voice carried behind the curtain. “You’re about to play Lucille Ball in a movie about her life.”  
“I am! I’m very excited.”  
“So are we. And here at the Late Late Show, when we’re excited about something, we like to celebrate by playing a game.” The audience clapped. “Now. Lucy Ricardo had bright red hair. Everyone knows this. But she was NOT a natural redhead.” 

I wasn’t nervous. Exactly. But I was feeling more jittery than I thought I would. I had only planned to be in the audience today. The tickets were free and I’d always had a crush on James Corden, so my best friend had insisted that we make a point to go to a taping while we were out here. I didn’t know who the guests were. I didn’t really care. I just wanted to see James in person after a decade or so of loving him. My friend barely knew who he was but she was happy to go with me. And apparently, equally as happy to insist I participate when I was stopped in the line.  
“We’re going to play a game with one of the guests and we need people with red hair. Would you like to help us out? You’d get to be on stage and you wouldn’t have to do much.” Someone with a clipboard and a headset smiled at me. “They’re meant to guess who has natural red hair and who’s is dyed.”  
I felt my eyes squishing up in amusement but I didn’t get to even finish the movement before my friend spoke up. “Yes. She’ll do it.” I turned to her, already blushing. “She’ll do it.” She repeated, grabbing my arm. “You’ll be even closer to James than the audience!”  
“Uh....” I giggled. “I don’t have to do anything, right?” I turned back to the headset man.  
“Basically.” He started writing on his clipboard. “Answer a random question or two. They’ll guess and you’ll confirm or deny. That’s it.”  
“She’ll do it.” My friend repeated.

“So its time to play: Real Or Rinsed!” His voice rang out as the curtain split. I was third in line; chosen specifically so that I wasn’t first but I wasn’t last either. Less pressure that way. I followed the two redheads in front of me through the curtain, finding the x on the floor that was meant for me. He’d already explained the game but he repeated the rules. “You can ask any question you want, except about the color of their hair. Which of these people is a ginger and which is a fake?”  
I felt my heart leap as I finally got to see James in person, only a few feet from me. It stopped all together when I saw who was beside him. Nicole Kidman and Taron Egerton. She was speaking to the first man in line. They were answering. The audience was laughing. Taron was grinning. I didn’t hear a word. I wasn’t sure I was breathing. I forced myself to inhale and exhale once before I peeled my gaze away and to my friend sitting in the corner of the audience. She gave me a thumbs up and a smile. I tried to kill her with my eyes.  
The woman in front of me answered her question and the sound slowly came back to my ears. I heard James say something undoubtedly charming and the audience laughed. So did the guests. Taron threw his head back with his laugh. It was infectious and I realized I was grinning. “I think its dyed.” Nicole said.  
“Me too.” Taron chimed in. “Definitely not born ginger.”  
“Oh, Taron’s went big there.” James joked. “You’re certain of that, aren’t ya, big man? Encountered many fake gingers in your lifetime?”  
His eyebrow quirked. “A few. A few who’s....” I watched his eyes glitter as he said, “carpet didn’t match the drapes.” Nicole’s face squished up in amused disgust. The crowd let out a sound half full of groans and half of laughter. Taron’s smile widened to show his dimples. James smacked Taron’s arm with his cue cards. “Can I say that on American television?” Taron giggled.  
“No one watches this show anyway.” James shrugged. “They’re all asleep. It’s fine.” Both guests swayed with their laughs. It was clear they were enjoying themselves. “Alright, Number Two. Real or Rinsed?” He nodded and the lady beside me flipped her card.  
“Rinsed.” She smiled.  
Taron and Nicole high-fived. “You’re quite good at this.” She said. Taron bowed his head and opened his arms. “What’s my natural hair color?” She squinted at him.  
Taron’s eyebrows knitted together. “You’re blonde, aren’t ya?”  
“Not as good as you thought.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “I’m a ginger.”  
His mouth fell open. “No way!”  
She grinned. “Naturally red and very curly.”  
“Wow.” James said in mock seriousness. “See? We get the big scoop here on this show.” He looked at the camera. “If only you were awake to see it.” He deadpanned. “Alright,” he got the game back on track. “Number three. Whatcha think?”  
Any comfort I’d gained by watching the three of them interact so easily disappeared as their eyes fell on me. “Hi, Three!” She said sweetly. “How are you?”  
“I’m good, thanks.” I answered on instinct. Instinct seems like a good choice when suddenly struck with this many nerves.  
“Number Three....” She tilted her head while she thought. She was sitting so gracefully. Her high heels made it impossible for her to cross her legs so she had her ankles crossed and her hands resting on her lap. Taron’s feet were crooked, one sneaker resting on top of the other, while he rocked them side to side. James rested against the arm of the couch, glancing down at his cards before looking back to me. “What’s your favorite movie?” She asked me.  
Instinct. “Eddie The Eagle.” I choked on the last syllable. I hadn’t meant to say that. I could feel my face changing color. My jaw dropped with a very audible gasp. I covered my mouth and nose with the card I’d been given, peeking out just over the top of it. It took Nicole and James a moment to catch on, looking to each other in confusion. But Taron had sat straight up, planting his feet before leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He jutted his chin out, his mouth falling open before it slowly turned into a smirk.  
“Really?” He asked.  
“Eddie the Eagle?” Nicole asked.  
“It’s one of mine.” Taron smirked.  
“Like the ski jumper?” She seemed intrigued.  
“Yeah.” He kept his eyes in my direction while he turned his head toward her. I swallowed hard. “About the ‘88 olympics. Hugh Jackman played my coach.”  
“Oh!” She put her hand on his shoulder. “I heard about that.”  
James giggled. “I think what you mean is ‘I haven’t seen your movie. But I know Hugh Jackman.’”  
She narrowed her eyes at James as Taron clapped his hands and leaned back in a laugh. “It’s okay. Not many people have seen it.”  
“She has.” Nicole pointed back to me. I was still cowering behind my card. “Its her favorite!”  
His eyes turned back to me. “I expect you’re just being kind.” I shook my head, my lips pressed together. “Its really your favorite?” He inclined his head in my direction, unconvinced. My blush deepened as I nodded. His hand went to his chest and his eyes softened. “That’s so sweet. Thank you.” His lips turned up in a genuine smile. I felt my shoulders curve inward as I swooned. I lowered the card.  
“She has to be a real redhead.” Nicole said. “Only a redhead can blush that deeply.” She joked.  
I let out a squeak of embarrassment and pulled the card back up, covering my entire face this time and turning slightly away from the couch. I heard laughter and it almost drowned out his voice. “Aweee, come on, now!” I rotated back around to see that he wasn’t on the couch anymore. He was already walking down the two steps onto the floor, his arms outstretched. My eyes widened as it registered that he was hugging me. I buried myself in his chest, awkwardly crushing the card between our stomachs. He radiated heat and warmth. His sweater was soft and thin. I could feel his biceps shift as he moved his arms. He rubbed my back quickly and rocked us back and forth, his feet alternately kicking out as a counterbalance.  
He steadied and kept one arm wrapped around me while he turned back to face the couch. “Don’t embarrass her. She clearly has great taste.” He jutted his chin out again, smirking at Nicole.  
“Of course!” She nodded conspiratorially. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”  
I didn’t trust instinct anymore. I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out. I shook my head in utter shock. “Uhhhh.” I pointed across my chest to the man currently holding me against him. “It’s okay now.” His arm around my shoulders was practically the only thing keeping my knees from buckling at the feeling of his warm chest vibrating against me as he laughed.  
“So what do you think?” James prompted.  
“She’s got freckles, as well.” Taron said. “You can’t see em up there.” He thumbed toward the couch but his head turned down to look at me. There were only a few inches between his gaze and mine. His eyes were so clear. Like two small jade stones. I felt an electric jolt in my stomach as I stared back. “Gorgeous.” He muttered, his accent making the O’s come out extra thick. Once again, I was glad he hadn’t let go of me yet.  
“I said already!” She fake pouted. Taron turned his gaze away and I remembered where I was. I blinked and looked back to the couch. “She’s definitely a natural redhead.”  
“I agree.” Taron rubbed my arm. I looked back up to him and he smiled down at me.  
I blinked and looked back to James and Nicole as I turned my card toward them. “Ginger.” I nodded.  
Taron made an ‘ayyyyyyy’ noise and his arms raised in celebration, releasing me. I felt instantly cold. But the electric shock running through my stomach stayed. He raised his palm toward me. I giggled as I high-fived him. His fingers closed around mine for a moment. I felt like I was flying. He winked at me before he dropped my hand and went back to the couch.  
“One more!” James kept the game going. I took a breath as they all turned to look at the young boy beside me, still reeling but glad to not be the center of attention anymore. I fanned myself with my card absently. “Wait a minute.” James cut off Nicole’s question to Number Four. “Look.” He pointed. “Look. Taron’s so hot; she’s literally fanning herself.” He chuckled.  
My eyes widened in embarrassment again. I pulled the card up another time, covering my face and the inevitable blush. “Its alright, Honey.” Nicole called over the audience’s laughter. “He is. I get it.” She raised her hand and copied my action.  
“Oh, of course!” James joined her, waving his own cards in front of his face. “I mean.... what a specimen!”  
“Oh please.” Taron rolled his eyes at James. He turned his face back to me and brought his fist to his jaw, thumb and pinky extended in a pretend telephone. He mouthed ‘call me.’ He scrunched his face as he winked and smirked at the same time. My cheeks started to ache with how hard I was smiling.  
“Number Four!” James said. “Number Four; whatcha think? Real or Rinsed?”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know m8. I needed to write again (after years and years away) and I needed to get the obsessive compulsive thoughts out. So I hope you were somewhere near entertained by this random and pointless little scene. I've got 3 more Taron things half finished in my word documents at the moment so I'll probably post them too. But I'm just here to get things out of my head and to hopefully amuse a few people along the way. I'm normally better than this. Its just been SO LONG and the tap water metaphor is running black rn. I'll fix it eventually.
> 
> I'm so new to Ao3 that it's embarrassing. I've read here for like decades but never had the guts to make an account before. So if I did something weird and unusual with the format- lemme know. I don't wanna embarrass myself more than I already have.  
> kaythanksmateloveyoutoobye


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